Renault South Africa (SA) is tackling 2013 with a brand-new business model, says marketing and communications VP Fabien Payzan. Where the French brand had only two model pillars in South Africa in 2012, it will have four by the end of 2013.

The current two pillars, the entry-level Sandero, with its range-topping Stepway, along with the Megane, accounted for 80% of Renault SA’s 10 000 unit sales in 2012.

Sales in 2011 numbered around 9 000 units at local dealers.

“We minimised our rental business in 2012, as this was not profitable,” notes Payzan. “We took a thousand units from the rental business in 2012 and added them to dealer sales.”

By the end of 2013, Renault SA hopes to have four model pillars in place in what should “be a revolution” for the brand, he adds.

The first new ‘pillar’ arrives in April, in the form of the new Clio. Payzan says the hatchback will hopefully deliver some good volumes for Renault in a market with a number of strong contenders, such as the Kia Rio and the Volkswagen Polo.

“The Clio still has strong equity in South Africa,” says Renault SA sales and operations VP Leslie Ramsoomar. “We are working on a price package for the Clio that will ensure a strong return.”

The new Clio will be sourced from Turkey.

The second new pillar, coming in the second half of 2013, will be the Duster sports utility vehicle (SUV), built on the same platform as the Sandero.

The Sandero is assembled at the Nissan SA plant, in Rosslyn, Gauteng. Japanese carmaker Nissan and Renault operate as a global alliance.

“There is big potential for the Duster in South Africa,” says Payzan. “We tested the car with customers in the B- and C-segments who say they want to buy an SUV, but believe it to be too expensive.”

New Renault SA MD Susumu Uchikoshi says the Duster will, at its launch, be imported from India.

“We are carefully studying the possibility of producing the Duster at the Nissan SA plant.”

Ramsoomar says local Sandero assembly has been “very beneficial” to the company, with 6 500 Sanderos built in South Africa last year, of which around 55% are Stepways.

Payzan notes that Stepway sales increased by 1 000 units in 2012 over 2011, with local capacity to produce this model increasing by 20% this year.

Renault SA hopes to grow its market share from the current 3% in passenger car dealer sales to 5% in 2013, says Payzan.

Uchikoshi’s “conservative estimate” is to grow sales volumes by 20% in 2013.

Renault dealer numbers will grow from 48 to 50 by the end of the year.

Uchikoshi adds that Renault SA’s French parent company is working hard to achieve a healthy balance of sales between the struggling European market and the rest of the world, with the current split 50/50.